Early Exploration in Marguerite Bay – Richard Barrett & Steve Wormald
Marguerite Bay lies on the west coast of the Antarctic Peninsula to the south of Adelaide Island and to the northeast of Alexander Island around 68ºS 68ºW. The exploration and subsequent surveying and mapping of the Bay area has been hugely influenced by the presence or absence of the annual sea ice. A three degree celsius rise in average temperatures in the Antarctic Peninsula over the last half century has seen a 60% decline in Marguerite Bay sea ice. This is in contrast to the slight increase experienced by the remainder of Antarctica.
1819-21 Russian Naval Expedition
Admiral Fabian Gottlieb Thaddeus von Bellingshausen in his ships ‘Vostok’ and ‘Mirnyi’, on a circumnavigation of Antarctica.
Bellingshausen was born in Saaremaa, Estonia, in 1779 and joined Kruzenstern’s circumnavigation of 1803-6 as fifth officer. He demonstrated great ability and in subsequent years rose to the rank of Admiral in the Black Sea fleet. He was chosen to lead the 1819-21 expedition to complement the Antarctic voyage of James Cook 1772-5. Bellingshausen was to command the expedition with Captain Zavadovski on the ‘Vostok’, a 3-masted frigate of 985 tons and 130 feet overall, built in St Petersburg in 1818. ‘Vostok’ was unusual in having 3 decks, with heating in the tween decks and having a sauna. Captain Lazarev on the ‘Mirnyi’, a 3 masted sloop of war of 530 tons and 120 feet overall, built in the Lodejno-Pol’skoj shipyard. Bellingshausen left Kronstadt on 13 July 1819. They extended Cook’s exploration of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands and on 27 January 1820 sighted the coast of Antartica at 69.35 S 02.23 W, but failed to recognise that the ice covered coast was in fact land. (This was 3 days prior to Bransfield’s sighting of Trinity Land) The expedition wintered at Port Jackson (Sydney) and explored South Pacific islands before continuing the circumnavigation of Antarctica. They discovered Peter Island 20 January 1821.